Battle Royale, Part 1
The mansion looked creepier at night.
"So how are we going to get in? Ring the doorbell?" 007 stared at the doors.
"Bet the doorbell sounds like a bloodcurdling shriek." 006 was standing as close to 005 as he could.
"Lovely, come up with that all by yourself?" 003 ignored the two as she opened the door. It was unlocked.
"Shut up you two." 002 didn't like being near the place. He'd escaped from there a few days ago, and here he was walking through the front door. "Anyone else suddenly have a feeling this is a bit too convient that they left the door open?" As soon as he said that and 008, who was the last in line, had gotten through the door, it slammed shut.
"You had to say that, didn't you?" 008 had whirled and almost shot the door. Now he was semi-glaring at 002.
"Didn't know the door was automatic." 002 quipped back, "Wonder if the rest of this place is as creepy as the front hall." They began heading into a hallway.
"I had my fill of creepy houses with 0012." 007 caught 004's eye, who gave a half smile and a nod, acknowledging that statement. The hallway was lined with pictures of people being disemboweled and other painful ways to die.
"Stay together, let's keep moving- Ah!" 006 had come face to face with a snarling tiger. A stuffed one, actually, with a plaque that read "Man-eating tiger from China." 005 looked at the tiger as well, then down the hall that the tiger guarded. It was full of animals that had killed people, and where dangerous in general. He took a step forward to see more, 006 following, and a wall slammed down, cutting them off from the others.
"005!!" 008 lunged at the door. "006!!"
"Well, so much for staying together . . ." 002 muttered, and they started to try and tear the door down.
"My fire breath isn't even heating this door up!" 006 stopped trying to melt the door. :We'll find another way out, see you soon.:
:Be careful.:
Somewhat reluctantly, 005 and 006 moved away from the door. "Where to now?"
" . . . This way." 005 led the way. "Stay close."
"Don't have to tell me twice." 006 would have clung to 005 if there wasn't a huge problem of personal space and manly dignity and pride to consider.
"Look out!" 002 shoved 008 out of the way of another door coming down. 003, who'd been in the lead turned around in time to have 008 slam into her, leaving 007, 002 and 004 on the other side of the wall.
"Merde!" 003 could still see them on the other side. Once again, the door was too thick and strong to cave to laser fire. Taking a deep breath, she and 008 went down the hallway open to them.
"We're being toyed with!!" 007 seethed as they once again split from their friends. The hallway they were going through was lined with different types of armor from different countries. "I can't believe this, what can they possibly gain by splitting us up?"
"Well, for one thing scare us, and another- 007?" 004 turned, 002 turned as well. 007 was gone. "To get us on our own . . ."
"007 ought to be fine . . . he just has to shape shift and he can get out . . . right?" 002 glanced at 004.
"I hope so . . ."
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"And I found this ingenious recipe for a quick desert too!" 006 had been talking nonsense for the past half hour after being split from the others. 005 didn't mind, he knew it was 006's way of dealing with pressure. And honestly, it was nice to have him talking. Made him feel less alone. "All you have to-whoa!!" 005 turned in time to see a fireplace whirl, taking 006 with it. An attempt to just punch out the wall with his strength ended with a sore hand. Now he was on his own.
006 struggled not to panic, because really, if he did, all he'd accomplish would be getting himself killed, and he didn't really want that, on the other hand, he might get killed anyway, so it wouldn't matter if he was calm or panicked- Okay, so he was panicking. He was also staring at a really attractive blonde holding a vial.
"Hello, 006. I'm Wicca."
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"008, look out!" 003 tried to save her friend, but the trapdoor opened and closed too quickly for either of them to react. She collapsed to her knees, staring at where the floor had swallowed 008. "Please . . . I don't want to be alone . . ." She could still faintly feel and hear her friends, but it was strained.
A violin played, just down the hallway, calling her to follow. So she did.
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008 landed with a splash in murky water. He glanced around the place, there were half submerged Statues, all men or women being dragged into the water by tentacles or snakes or mermen. There was also no visible way out, other than the trapdoor he'd fallen from. "Where am I?"
"My play area . . ." A man with half his face hidden by a black mask appeared out of the darkness. "I'm Nightshade . . . and it will be a pleasure to kill you, 008."
"I don't kill easy." 008 glared at the man. Water was his element, and he'd be damned if he let some half cracked bastard kill him.
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"002!" 004 knocked his friend out of the way as bullets erupted from the wall, the force slamming him into the opposite wall. Nocturna smirked, the tommy gun in her hands smoking.
"I think I owe you something . . ."
"004!" Someone grabbed 002 and before he knew it, he was in a large room, a wall now blocking him from 004. "Jean Paul!"
"I'm sorry, 002 . . . I have no choice." Acid didn't want to hurt anyone, especially someone his sister cared for. Very quickly, he punched 002, knocking him against the wall. Leaning close he whispered, "Dr. Tudor is watching the fights, if I don't act convincing, I don't know what he'll do." 002 blinked, understanding.
"Then try not to hit vital areas, and I'll try to shoot out the cameras." 002 saw Acid's grateful smile. "003's been worried sick, it's the least I can do." He punched him.
"Call me Acid."
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007 had no clue how long he'd been sliding down the tunnel, but it was getting monotonous. Finally he landed in a room. Rubbing his now bruised rear, he stopped when he saw what was occupying the room.
First off, the room wasn't as macabre as the rest of the mansion, with statues of tragic characters like Othello and Desdemona, Romeo and Juliette, Ophelia, and many others. The lighting was warm and soft, giving an air of peace about the place.
What bothered him were the shiny biers with glass coffins in the room. Each one held a familiar face to him. Closest to him were both 0010s, 0012 and 0013. Past them were the Mythos cyborgs, and farther than that were 009's three friends. He stared at each peaceful face (okay, so some of them were smashed up or burned, but they were definitely at peace.) Each one had a plaque on their bier, listing their designation, who created them and death date . . . also who had killed them. He froze when he got to the last coffin in the room. "Oh God . . ." Renegade lay in it, beaten, bloody and deathly pale. "Renegade!" He opened the lid, staring at her. He may have not liked her, but he certainly hadn't wished she would die!
"Glad . . . to hear it . . ." Weakly eyes opened, blood coming out of her mouth as she whispered.
"You're alive?"
"Kind of . . . 001, made me come back . . . " Renegade couldn't move as he picked her up, pulling her out of the coffin.
"Who did this?" He knelt on the ground, holding her in a sitting position as he leaned against the bier.
" . . . Death . . ." She coughed up blood and some fluid. She leaned against him. "I woke him up . . ."
"Why? If he was unstable . . ."
"I wanted to die." Of all the answers he was expecting, that wasn't it. He didn't push her away as she laid her head against his shoulder. "I wanted to . . . for once."
"What do you mean?"
TTTTTTTTTT
Fumes and Flames were all that Dr. Tudor could see of Wicca and 006's fight. He had no way of knowing who was winning, or what they were doing to fight each other. A slight explosion rocked the camera, making it turn off.
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*CoughCough!* 006 struggled to breathe, he was pretty sure by this point the fumes in the air were toxic. His eyes were watering and he was struggling to see anything in the haze. He put his back against the wall. He had to find a way out of here before he collapsed. Though from the impression he got from her, she probably wasn't affected by the fumes. Blowing out, he ignited something.
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"Grrr . . ." Gargoyle jumped out of nowhere and 005 barely managed to duck and send the large monster over his head. "Die, Foolisssh one!" A punch to the creature's jaw sent it back a few feet.
005 was silent as he ducked the thrashing tail. Silently, he prayed that his friends would be alright without him for a while longer.
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004 twisted out of the way as Nocturna shot at him. A part of him was struggling with the idea of killing her. He knew what 001 had said, but still . . . He glanced at his arm. What have I got to lose? He didn't expect the answer, but he knew it was right. Only my friends, if I can't beat her. He returned fire, 009's death had shaken everyone else enough, while his death might gain him a chance to see Hilda and Vina again, he couldn't abandon his friends.
He just had to give everything he had, and they would make sure he didn't collapse.
Easier said than done, as the crazed female Shape shifter wound up having a grenade and blowing up half the hallway.
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002 hissed in pain as a shot of acid hit the arm Gargoyle had shredded earlier. Acid was a pretty good shot, even if he wasn't playing for keeps. He also wasn't half bad at hand to hand combat. Spying a camera, he moved so when he took a shot at Acid, it would hit the camera.
Acid located another camera just behind 002, so he took the shot, giving him enough of a warning so only the camera got fried, unfortunately, so did 002's gun. 002 rammed into him using his jets to accelerate him, pinning Acid against the wall.
"Anymore?" 002 had him by the throat.
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003 stepped into a dusty theater, a record player on the stage. That accounts for the music . . . "Ah." The door slammed shut behind her, she turned to it, and then when she turned back towards the stage, she almost jumped out of her skin. Phantom stood right there.
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"What do you mean, you wanted to sleep?" 007 glanced around, before looking at her again. He'd though he'd heard something. Renegade just closed her eyes. "Oh no you don't, you can't die-"
"Die." 007 jerked as a slightly familiar voice whispered nearby. Turning, he froze up, staring wide eyed at the figure near him.
"009?" 007 squeaked.
-That's not 009, 007.- Renegade gave up on talking since it hurt so much.
"She's mine to kill."
-That's Death. He only likes to kill.-
"Leave her alone, she's hurt enough!" 007 stood in front of Renegade.
"I'll kill you first." Death accelerated, hit him and sent him crashing into the wall, then appeared farther away.
-007, Death will toy with you till you collapse and he can kill you without a problem.-
"What the bloody hell did Hades do to him?!" 007 attempted to dodge Death's next rush, but wound up getting thrown. He's playing with me like a cat with a mouse! Or like a Great White with a seal- 007 shook out the comparisons as he, surprisingly, was able to dodge the next hit and run.
-He's still playing with you, he missed on purpose.-
"Well a little help would be nice!"
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008 dodged the tendrils formed by Nightshade. Cutting through the water, he took a shot at one of the possible places where Nightshade's body could be. Something wrapped around him, and squeezed his arms close to his body. Next thing he knew, he was being slammed against the underwater wall, and could feel the grate hit his back- A grate! The current was bringing water through the grate, it was stronger near the bottom than it was near the top. An idea formed, right as Nightshade formed in front of him, holding his throat. Taking a deep breath, he pushed off the wall and down, sending them both down to the bottom. The current began pulling at them both, but was worse for nightshade, who began to disingrate before 008's eyes. The grip changed from intending to kill to clinging to a possible rescuer. 008 shook his head, and eventually the grip disappeared. 008 returned to the surface of the water, and pulled himself onto a stone slab, exhausted. His hand hit a button on the floor, and the wall and stone slab spun, bringing him to a hallway.
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005 held Gargoyle's mouth shut, pushing him against the floor. Gargoyle hissed and growled, but he couldn't escape 005's grip. Gargoyle gave a massive effort to shake 005 off-
SNAP! - And snapped his own neck. 005 released the beast, and stared down at him. Then he continued on his way, down a set of stairs.
"If you want to kill me, you'll have to do it while I sleep." 005 stopped and looked at a wet and definitely tired 008. "Oh, it's you. We don't have to worry about Nightshade, anymore."
"Gargoyle is dead as well." 005 picked up the swimmer.
"Great . . . let's find the others, huh?" 008 didn't protest being carried. Armored scales or no, being nearly strangled still took the energy out of him.
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"Albert . . . " 004 blinked, staring into Vina's face. Everything was so surreal.
"Vina . . . ?" He was so focused on her face that he almost missed the dagger aiming for his side. A last second instinct made him grip and crush the fingers of that hand. 'Vina' shrieked and pulled back, turning back into Nocturna. 004 rolled to his feet, punching Nocturna. An old suit of armor had been caught in the blast, and she grabbed the mace. His attempt to shoot her didn't go to well. He'd run out of ammunition. He grabbed the sword just as she brought the mace down on his head. He barely got the sword up in time. He shoved back, and pulled away.
"I'll kill you. Then I'll go help kill off your friends . . . Maybe I should attack in your shape? So they wind up hating you?" She pressed the attack. He blocked most of the blows, and then some part of him made him take a step forward, barely being missed by the mace, and thrust the sword.
Nocturna's mouth dropped open. "You . . ." The sword had gone straight through. "You weren't . . . supposed to hurt me . . ." She collapsed.
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"We're clear, let's go." Acid and 002 took off. "006 will be in the worst trouble."
"Why- wait, you planned on us coming to you!" 002 almost stopped.
"Tudor did. He used to be a . . . well, I'm not sure if 'psychiatrist' is the right word, but he built a living on studying minds and people . . . how far it would take for them to go insane." Acid took a deep breath. "I'm probably the only one out of this group other than Renegade who's still sane."
"Yeah well, those mind games she plays are annoying." 002 glanced around. "Where are we going?"
"Hold your breath." A few seconds later smoke poured out of the hole the acid had made, and then they were in. The room was on fire. 002 tripped over a figure in black, and grabbed it. The woman didn't respond, nor did she have a pulse. Someone gripped his arm.
006 wasn't sure if he was still hallucinating or not, but it looked like 002. The guy grabbed him, then in a few moments he was away from the smoke filled room.
"Get him to drink this." Something was forced down his throat, and for a moment, he panicked. Some paranoid part of him of screaming that the stuff was poison.
"C'mon 006, snap out of it!" It took a few moments, but eventually his head cleared well enough to see the woman that almost killed him propped against the wall. "Why are you concerned about her, Jean Paul?" it took a moment to notice the man was checking her.
" . . . Wicca was in a bad relationship, with a disease eating at her . . . unfortunately, the clinic study she joined was funded by the branch of black Ghost that became Hades, so instead of being cured, she was turned into a cyborg." Jean Paul shook his head. "Doesn't really matter anymore. We've got to get going." They took off down the hall, 006 being led by 002.
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"Bloody hell!" The punch Death tried to throw at 007, went straight through him. For that matter, so did the rest of Death, who went straight through a 4 inch solid steel wall. 007 was checking to see how it happened, but couldn't figure it out. Death had even slowed down so he could see the hit coming.
-You know how shape shifting is the rearranging of your molecules?-
"Don't tell me Renegade. I don't want to know." He moved back to where she was. "We've got to get out of here . . ."
-Can you, 007 look out!-
007 found his head smashed against a metal bier, before he stumbled away from a Red-eyed Death.
"Game over." 007 saw Renegade lunge out of the corner of his eye, and right before death grabbed him- They were outside the mansion. Right next to the hedge maze. Renegade was clinging to him.
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"What do you want?"
" . . . Help." Phantom's hand went to his throat. It was harder to talk than before. Renegade . . . "Come . . . show . . . Dolphin . . . Help others . . ."
"You can get me to the dolphin?" An explosion sounded. "What was that?"
"Don't . . . know . . ." Phantom made no move to attack, so 003 relaxed. "You . . . are . . . beautiful . . . " 003 jerked in surprise, then glanced at Phantom. "Sorry . . ." He moved away from her.
"It's Okay. Why do you wear a mask?" Phantom tilted his head looking at her.
"I . . . am . . ." He shook his head and turned away.
"Wait, you said you could get me to the dolphin, and help my friends. Will you actually do it?" She grabbed his hand. He blinked at her.
"Would . . . you . . . give . . . something . . . in . . . return?"
"Like what?"
" . . . A . . . a . . . kiss?"
" . . . Once we get to the Dolphin, yes, I'll give you a kiss." All things considered, it was probably a cheap price, but 003 could see his eyes light up. She could hear metal parts grinding together every time he moved and talked, he was really broken up inside. One of the side doors opened, and 004 entered.
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"Where are we?"
-Hedge maze, don't go in, there are some failed versions of gargoyle in there, not very bright but plenty nasty.- Renegade leaned her head on him. -Death can't leave the mansion, He'll self-destruct.-
"The others are still in there!" He tried to pull her away, but her legs weren't working very well, and she almost fell.
-I know. I can't pull them out.- 007 blinked as he realized one of her eyes was just plain white. -It took a lot just to get us out, and I can't teleport anything else just yet, there's a slight cool down period.-
"Then what use are you?"
-I can show you where the dolphin is. If you want.- Renegade glanced away, which took more effort than it was worth. -Oh, Hell.-
"What?"
-I'm gonna kill the designer of this Hell house, for one thing, There are two ways to get in to the hanger, three if you count the hangar doors, but those open from the inside. One's in the house.-
"And the second?"
-In the Maze. Damn, I wish I could see the future, I would've teleported straight to the hangar if I knew I was going to make this goof.- Renegade moved her face into a scowl. -I can instruct Phantom to show the way for everyone else, Maybe play my game a bit longer, see how it works.-
"You were able to teleport Jean Paul and then the others in rapid succession."
-I wasn't dying then. A part of my brain is trying to heal me, and if I focus the energy away from that, I could wind up erasing someone out of existence, not to mention killing myself.- Renegade closed her eyes. -I hate being a psychic. There are too many rules to follow, and too many chances I can't take.-
"I was wondering, is there a universal law of some kind that Psychics can't affect to world on a grand scale?" 007 moved her to a bench so she could sit. "I can try to stop you from bleeding out if you want."
-Please. And Yeah, we can't really make anything happen, we can nudge people in the right direction, we can mess with people's heads if it will get something to happen that should.- 007 started to check on her injuries, and was surprised that she was conscious. -Most of us stop at controlling people outright, and generally, we make up our own rules, and our own strengths and weak spots in our power. Mine being that I can't truly control people, I can erase their memories, I can give them suggestions, but I can't force them to move against their will. But there are drawbacks to the power . . . things that I can't control.- Renegade opened both eyes. -We better get moving, I can act as a compass to get to the center.-
"I just got out of a brush with Death, and now we're going head-on into it." 007 shape shifted to a horse. "Can you get on?"
-Give me a few minutes, and I'll let you know.- Renegade gripped the neck, and barely thanked 007 when he crouched down so she could pull herself up. -Let's go. I think I can keep most of them away from us, but don't hold your breath.-
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"I can walk now." 005 nodded and gently put 008 back onto his feet. "Where are we?"
" . . . Looks like we've headed into a dead end." A wall slammed behind them.
". . . This isn't good." 008 turned to face the wall that hadn't slammed down. It was getting closer. "'Castle of Horror' tries 'Castle of Deadly traps'." 008, though he was unaware of it, had seconded Renegade's thoughts in wishing the designer of the house harm. "005 can you lift this wall?"
"I can try."
"Don't 'try', do it before we get crushed." 008 tried to shoot at the edges of the moving wall, thinking of slowing it down. "Hurry!"
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"Acid, where are we going?"
"To get . He's in the control room." Acid focused on the halls. "It controls the entire mansion, we can shut off the traps, and we'll be able to find where everyone else is. Particularly Renegade."
"Why her?"
"She was supposed to meet me, just before you guys arrived. She didn't, and Dr. Tudor and the others wanted her dead." Acid kept moving. "If we can shut down the mansion, we can survive."
"Let's go then."
Next up: I have no clue, but it's the second to last chapter before the end!
Disclaimer: don't own Cyborg 009